Game 6 Adjustments: Celtics vs. Magic

Well, here it is. Orlando is facing elimination for the first time this postseason. Completely untested waters for this team as it is do-or-die win-or-go home time in Orlando. Whatever tricks Stan Van Gundy has left, he better use them Thursday or else the season is over. And that is a very difficult prospect to stomach.

1) Ride your star: Dwight Howard was simply a non-factor at the end of Game Five. He was not touching the ball and Orlando was not trying to get it to him. The reason the Magic have not been able to finish these games this postseason is because they lack someone who can simply score whenever he touches the ball.

They have tried Hedo Turkoglu to varying success and Jameer Nelson is not walking out of that locker room with a protective shoulder pad and a jersey on. That means Howard has to be the Magic's horse and they have to be willing to go as far as he takes them.

If Howard is going to be the superstar we all know he can be, this has to be his game on both ends of the floor. Anything short of a 20-20 game from him has to be considered almost unacceptable (unless they win). Howard has to provide the stats that go along with the effort and the Magic have to allow him to do that.

It is true, he has struggled mightily to score this series. Kendrick Perkins and Glen Davis do a great job pushing him out of his comfort zone. But Howard has to know he is better than both of them and still do what he wants.

On defense, he has to be the force rebounding the ball. He cannot leave Davis or Perkins alone, but he still must challenge perimeter breakdowns in the paint. When the ball goes up for a rebound, it must be his.

Orlando can only go as far as Howard takes them. And Howard needs to take them to a victory Thursday.

2) Control the defensive glass: this was the Magic's most glaring weakness in Game Five. Boston grabbed 11 offensive rebounds and every one seemed to hurt.

The biggest of course was Kendrick Perkins rebound after Rajon Rondo's air ball and tied for the biggest was Rondo's rebound after Ray Allen missed a shot with about 20 seconds left after that blown call (and it was a blown call by the referees).

Howard cannot be the only one rebounding. Rashard Lewis has to come in and box out Glen Davis and rotate to help Howard out. Hedo Turkoglu has to crash the boards better. Everyone has to ensure the Celtics do not get second chance points. It is clear Boston can out-execute Orlando down the stretch. Giving them second opportunities only hurts more.

3) Believe: the Game Five loss stings. Stings a whole hell of a lot more than Game Four did. I walked out of Amway Arena after Game Four confident that if the Magic shot the ball better, they could easily defeat the Celtics.

Orlando certainly did that before shutting down in Game Five.

As Turkoglu said, it is tough to explain how Game Five and control of the series got away. From everything I have heard from friends, reports about the game, the locker room and my own feelings, the confidence in the Magic Kingdom is a little rocked right now.

But it is NOT impossible to win Game Six. The Amway Arena crowd, which by the way was absolutely electric in Game Four, will be behind the Magic to force a Game Seven on Sunday.

The Game Five loss IS only one game and the series is still a manageable 3-2. The Magic have shown they can win in Boston once and they nearly did it twice. It is not hard to imagine Orlando being able to win Game Seven (although it will not be easy).

But do not think winning Game Six will be easy either. There is a long way left to go in this series.

The wounds from Tuesday's game will sting, but the series is far from over. Orlando has to seize the moment. The team cannot wait for Boston to have an off night or roll over and head to the TD Banknorth Garden on Sunday.

The Magic must step up and tell the world they can and will reach the Eastern Conference Finals.